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Bottletop: Fashion from recycled materials

The fashion industry has the potential to be a sustainable and beneficial sector if more garments are manufactured from recycled materials. Similarly, if more items of clothing are recycled, rather than being tossed in a landfill, then the industry could benefit from cheaper materials that are more eco-friendly.

Once such company has been creating fashion accessories entirely from up-cycled and recycled materials since 2002. Bottletop designs and creates luxury handbags, backpacks and purses from bottle tops and leather off-cuts. UK-based Mulberry supplies Bottletop with the quality leather offcuts from their production line and the bottle tops are collected in Kenya.

Bottletop leading the way for sustainable fashion

The company then went on to set up a shop in Brazil where they created a collection of accessories and bags from sustainably-sourced materials. Repurposed metal and leather from certified zero-deforestation cattle ranches were the main materials featured in this collection.

Bottletop has also collaborated with leading global brands and designers such as Narciso Rodriguez and DKNY. The company was commissioned to design the costumes for the opening ceremony of the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics and has been selected as the official bag partner for the 2017 and 2018 British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Awards.

The organisation has expanded its operations, launching the Bottletop Foundation to support health and education efforts in Ethiopia, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Brazil and the UK.

Bottletop’s flagship store

In December 2017, Bottletop opened the doors to its flagship store on Regent Street in London. Their aim is to raise awareness of the future of sustainable luxury, ethical design and cross-cultural collaboration.

The interior of the store is coated in a special paint made entirely from plastic waste. “For the first time, visitors to our store will be able to witness the sustainable use of this technology first hand while shopping the Bottletop collection and learning about the mission of the brand,” says co-founder Oliver Wayman.

“This is so exciting for us as our customers can watch the transformation of the store. Overhead hangs our trademark metal canopy, with thousands of cans embedded into a 3D printed lattice structure suspended from the ceiling, which is a play on the concept of negative space, inspired by the British contemporary artist Rachel Whiteread,” he adds.

The interior design of the new store is the perfect backdrop for Bottletop’s sustainable collections of handcrafted fashion accessories.

Image: Bottletop.org

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